Dr Geoffrey Roger

Summary of research interests and expertise

• French Historical Linguistics
• Linguistic History of France
• Scriptology
• Historical Graphematics
• Dominant Language Ideologies
• Language Policy
• Language Rights
• Minority Languages in France
• Philology
• Digital Editing

I have trained as a historical linguist and philologist analysing the language of MS Glasgow Hunter 252, the only extant manuscript of the Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles, and producing a new critical edition of this 15th-century collection of short stories, which offers a unique insight into French usage at the court of Philip III of Burgundy. Thanks to funding awarded by Switzerland’s Fondation pour la Protection du Patrimoine Culturel, Historique et Artisanal I am furthermore preparing a digital edition of this manuscript, in partnership with the Dictionnaire du moyen français(Opens in new window) (French Scientific Research Council / ATILF). My findings have encouraged me to engage in larger-scale research into phono- and morpho-graphematic variation across the Middle French digital corpus, the conclusions of which contradict established theories on the standardisation and deregionalisation of late medieval written language. 

In parallel, I am very interested in contemporary debates around language in France and the Francosphere, especially the various ideologies they mobilise in interaction with public policy. As a member of the Management Committee of the New Speakers in a Multilingual Europe(Opens in new window) network (European Cooperation in Science and Technology ISCH COST Action IS1306), my research has focused on the discrimination of indigenous language communities in metropolitan and overseas France, and argued for stricter observance of cultural rights and equal opportunities.